starsand | 【MINGLE】 March Mingle

【MINGLE】 March Mingle

March Mingle

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march mingle

With the arrival of March comes a slow spike in temperatures. The snow that previously lined walkways and clung to treetops is beginning to melt, resulting in slow trickles of water through the city and a consistent sound of running water. The large amounts of water run off into streams and rivers on the first level, which then pour off the sides of the stacked city as controlled waterfalls. Accompanying the melted snow water is a huge bloom of flowers... and of course, as most things are in Starsand City, the flowers aren't entirely a natural occurrence.

March marks the start of flower season in the city. From the start of March until end of April, most stores will be including a small package of one to five magical flower seeds with all purchases. The seeds act a lot like Starling in that they can give spirits a boost of magic. While most magic in the city relies on the spirits to grow, these seeds seem to be a rare exception: Anyone is able to grow them, regardless of magical experience, so long as they desire it. Growing flowers around the city is almost an expectation. Shops will begin putting out flower pots and boxes for people to grow flowers in. You can also 'buy' various gardening supplies, including How-To books, in order to start your own gardens outside your residence. And for those suffering from wanderlust, there is always the option of taking a trip to the third level to see the freshly blooming flower fields.

The city atmosphere is peaceful. Fallen Stars may notice that there is less emphasis on treating them as heroes and more focus on treating them as regular civilians. They'll begin to get job offers and civilians will express more interest in their natural talents... After all. It's been almost a year since they appeared. Maybe they're just stuck here.

(A) NEW ARRIVALS / A BAD TIME

New Arrivals can happen as they always have: With a blink, you wake up in a pastel coloured city. Snow melts along the street and gems accent the buildings, while the civilians regard your sudden arrival with mild surprise. They'll be quick to approach and offer you access to things like free food, shelter, and an explanation. They usually insist that you visit the Shrine of Love or Shrine of Spacetime for further information, but don't press uncomfortably.

Or... It can happen another way. This can even happen to Fallen Stars who have already arrived in the city. Instead of blinking and arriving in the beautiful city of Starsand, you blink and find yourself standing at one end of a long, white, and sterile corridor. There are doors made of thick metal on either wall and a larger, red door at the end of the hallway. The lights overhead cast an artificial and sickly light to the floor and occasionally flicker, causing the entire corridor to plunge into darkness. Sometimes when the lights turn back on, the door at the end of the hallway will have changed colours or design.

This prompt is optional, and exploring the corridor will act as a mod directed mini'investigation. Characters can visit the corridor a maximum of two times: Once alone and once with CR. Exploration groups can be no more than 3 characters. More Details here.

Once corridor exploration is complete, new characters will arrive in the city as normal.

(B) GROWING FLOWERS

... Well, that was weird! Luckily, no one needs to linger on that weird vision. You have things to do. Like growing flowers!

The process of growing flowers is relatively simple: Anyone can do it. Take one of the magical seeds you've received and cup it in your hands. After whispering your sincere feelings to the seed, it will begin to sprout. Place the seed in some soil and that's it! Throughout the month, that flower will continue to bloom, so long as the feelings whispered to it remain true. Flowers imbued with happiness will bloom faster if you're in a good mood and flowers imbued with sadness with bloom faster if you're upset. No flower will ever reverse its blooming or die: They'll simply be slower than the rest, until your feelings come into alignment again.

A common practice in the city is to hold flower tea parties; Everyone plants a few happiness flowers, then spends the afternoon having a lovely time together over tea and desserts. Most cafes will happily lend out their spaces for private parties. Otherwise, there are public afternoon tea events being held all around the city where the only price is planting some flowers.

And of course, blooming flowers this way is very good for spirits. They will be glowing especially brightly when they visit the gardens. You may even hear them humming little notes from time to time! And when they're not being sweet and innocent, they're up to their mischievous ways... Spirits will follow people who have unplanted seeds, causing minor mischief until they stop and bloom the flowers. Mischief may include a personal rain cloud, a tripping curse, lots of puddles to step in, hiccups... Small things that are more annoying than dangerous.

(C) VISITING THE FLOWER FIELDS

On the third floor, there is a tiny village that exists almost separate from the main city. And they love flowers. Anyone who investigates where these magical seeds came from will learn that they're from a rural village called Flower Field Town on the third floor. They call themselves a separate village, because they can exist separate from the main city using spirit magic. Almost everyone here has a spirit contract and the flower growing magic originated here.

Visits to the third floor are highly encouraged this month. The populate is barely over 200 people, but they all live in perfect harmony with the spirits. They claim that this is the ideal way to live in the new world of spirits and magic. Technology here is entirely reliant on spirits and all needs are being met through magic. Simply opening a oven can produce a whole meal, putting clothes on the drying line will instantly clean them, etc. etc. When visiting, it's possible to rent a cottage and field to give this way of life a try... But there is a catch. At least one person staying in the cottage must have a spirit pact. If not, then the magic to make food and power the building won't work. You'll have to survive the old fashioned way!

(D) BURY YOUR HEART | cw: themes of depression

There is another use for the seeds, but it's one that is not as widely spoken about. It's something you might learn of through an old fairytale in the library or gossip on the streets. It's a little thing called Heart Burial.

"During the first Flower Blooming, the people of the world were bitter, scared, and angry. The reveal of magic had them questioning their lives and the generations of lives before them. People felt immense guilt for their long history of ignoring the spirits, who helped them in secret, and they had no way to relieve it.

And so, a kami born from human failings created the magic seeds that we know today. They wanted to give humans a chance to repay the spirits with the magic from their own hearts. But they also wanted to alleviate the guilt and shame that could not be magicked away. They imbued the seeds with an extra power: If you whisper your shameful feelings to the seed before you plant it and then visit every day to repent, the magic will slowly drain that feeling from your heart. This way, people could let go of their ugliness and be reborn like spring."

Heart Burial is not something encouraged anymore. If it's brought up, then the older generation will insist that it's a terrible idea and you should find other ways to make up for your sins. But for the younger members of the population, Heart Burial is still popular. You may catch teens trying to burying unrequited love, grudges, or embarrassing memories in their gardens. And they're talking an awful lot about it this year, to the point that the adults are beginning to worry.

(D) FLORAL CHAOS

Part of having a seasonal event where the city is covered with flowers is... having a city covered in flowers. Unfortunately, not everyone in the city understands that the roots under flowers can cause them to suffocate and die if they're too close together. So while growing flowers is all well and good, there is an additional task of carefully digging up flowers and transplanting them to safer places. That's where The Flower Rescue Squad! comes in. They're a very passionate bunch. If you're recruited then you'll get a special purple armband with a flower embroidered into it. The spirits will pick a flower that reminds them of you, so everyone gets something special!

Volunteers will be taught how to recognize a flower that is in danger and how to careful transfer it to a pot, then asked to bring pots to the other city levels for replanting. The first floor is the one most in need of flowers; The civilians there will begrudgingly accept the offer and almost everyone has a planter box or two ready for flowers. Though the first floor residents resist most magic, they are very passionate about taking care of the spirit flowers.

A flower in danger needs to be moved quickly, because it isn't just a danger to itself. The sick flowers are filled with magic, after all. They begin to glow and spread minor curses to those who inhale their aroma. If you aren't working with a mask, then you might feel side effects. And if you aren't aware of the danger then... Oops.

It's a magical effects prompt!

Affected flowers will morph into a specific type and give specific effects. It's possible to research the effects beforehand, but they change every year. Information will not be easy to obtain until the 10th of the month. Until then, not even the most seasoned Flower Rescue Squad! members know what to expect. The effects last no more than two hours. And for once, spirits can actually cure these effects!

Peonies: The scent of these flowers will leave someone feeling energized. They may be more ambitious and fearless than usual... and also, a bit reckless.
Roses: The scent of a rose will cause your hair to change to the colour of the rose you were dealing with. Animal ears and tails are also unfortunate side effects of this scent.
Lilies: The scent of a lily causes someone to become incredibly clumsy. You'll need a lot of help just getting around.
Carnations: These flowers will cause your emotions to be written on your face in text form. They can appear anywhere from your cheek to your forehead.
Daffodils: The scent of a daffodil will allow someone to temporarily see the spirit realm. This realm exists alongside the regular and it filled with a blinding number of spirits. Their feelings may bleed into your own. Right now, most spirits are very happy. Headaches and nauseas are common.
Iris: The scent of an iris will cause you to spew compliments to anyone you meet. Repeating compliments is fine. So is lying.
Poppy: The scent of a poppy flower will cause intense drowsiness, paired with miserable insomnia.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Mafuyu inwardly... does not trust that. Not that she's saying it aloud, given that she's keeping up appearances as a 'good girl', but she doesn't know if anyone contracting with the Wish Maker is a good idea.

Even more so if it's someone she barely knows.

Not that she thinks that having it be someone she does know make it any better. ]

Find a way to separate the souls of the Wish Maker.

Making a contract with them does not solve the inherent issue.

Do you have any leads on how to do that?

You want to separate the souls of the Wish Maker, but we haven't even managed to cure the distortions yet. That in itself could take a while.

I agree with you that it would be the best solution. A contract would help buy us time so we could achieve a more permanent fix like the one you suggested.

I have a few ideas.

But I don't think that any of the people that I care about would want me to utilize any of those.

It's true that we haven't cured the Distortions yet, but I think the fact that Yuuto-san became 'stable', in a way, might be a hint as to how it can be fixed. It's something to look into further, in any case.

I just don't know if I really trust a contract with the Wish Maker, though.

If you are unwilling to act on your ideas, why not share so someone else can?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Yuuto-san's situation is notably different from the Wish Maker's. While you spend time looking for a solution, we leave ourselves, and the Distortions, vulnerable. Would it not be best to cover all our bases?

Well...I didn't want to say this, it's kind of embarrassing, but I suppose I'll tell you if it helps put your mind at ease. I have my own abilities, which is why I think I have a better chance of handling that kind of contract.

[ ....

Should she share? There's a part of her that says that she should--after all, that's what the 'good girl' Mafuyu would do. But then there's that part of her that says that it'd be dangerous, but...

It's something that's been brought up before. It's no secret, in any case. ]

Fallen Stars can become kami. That's something that has been proven as a fact. If I had to make a guess, the fastest option would be for someone to become a kami of 'spirits'.

It might be possible that a kami of 'change' or 'Distortion' might even be able to help with that issue.

But the thing is that Distortions could probably happen to any kami. And given that kami are spirits and all people have them, that potential reaches out to everyone. While I am not 100% certain what the root cause of a Distortion is, although there might be something to do with "the tampering of the spirit".

And if I had to make an educated guess, 'emotions' probably have a huge impact on Distortions themselves.

[ Anyway... ]

It would be better to have that out in the open; not just for myself, but for anyone else who may be reading this. I'm quite positive that I'm not the only one who would be wary of making a contract with the Wish Maker, after all.

[Kagami is grateful this is over text, because he wants to laugh. He couldn't have predicted that Mafuyu would suggest something so fitting. It's almost too perfect to be true. Maybe he should be more cautious, but there's no way she's aware of his own goals and ideas, is there?

As for the risks, he doubts it's anything he's not accustomed to.]

Interesting.

It's not fool-proof, but a Fallen Star less emotionally driven would have a better chance of not becoming a Distortion, or at least they would be more resilient to the effects.

You said Fallen Stars becoming kami has been proven as a fact. Do you know how it's accomplished?

I'd say there's a good chance that's true. If I had to guess, they'd have to be able to handle negative emotions relatively well in particular.

I would not know how it's accomplished, but if it's similar to home, I would have to guess it has something to do with the public perception of a person.

How convenient!

Hmm. In order for one to become a kami of Distortions, one would have to act distorted? Is that along the lines of what you're guessing?

I don't think you'd have to specifically act distorted but perhaps... have a story that dealt with it?

But the thing is that the general public doesn't know about Distortions, so that whole thing is probably out.

This is tough. "Change" and "spirits" are broad topics too. Their meaning may differ significantly from one person to another.

And we can't make it public, can we? Even if doing so would certainly constitute as "change".

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UN: livinglibrary

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